Department for Transport

High Speed 2 Line: Iron and Steel

Baroness Redfern: To ask Her Majesty's Government whatassessment they have made of the origin of the steel procured for the HS2 project which is produced outside the UK.

Baroness Vere of Norbiton: Steel used on HS2 is procured through our supply chain, principally the Main Works Civil Contractors. The Department for Business, Energy & Industrial Strategy (BEIS) publish data annually, the most recent covering FY20/21, on the origin of steel use across Government projects, including HS2.

Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy

Companies: Carbon Emissions

Lord Kennedy of Southwark: To ask Her Majesty's Government what plans they have, if any, to encourage greater transparency among UK companies accused of exaggerating their environmental commitments, commonly termed as greenwashing, to prevent this from adversely impacting the Government’s Net Zero strategy.

Lord Callanan: Businesses have a vital role to play in helping us to meet our net zero target and are encouraged to join the UN-backed Race to Zero, with 7,552 already setting credible and robust targets and outlining plans to deliver on these targets. ‘Greening Finance: A Roadmap to Sustainable Investing’ sets out how the Government will ensure decision-useful information on sustainability is available to financial market decision-makers, helping to combat potential “greenwashing”. The UK is also requiring asset managers, regulated asset owners and listed companies to publish transition plans that consider the government’s net zero commitment or provide an explanation if they have not done so.

Accountancy: Standards

Baroness Bowles of Berkhamsted: To ask Her Majesty's Government, further to the Written Answerby Lord Callanan on 15 June (HL757), whether the use of judgement in resolving accounting issues is by reference to (1) the purpose of audited accounts as set out in company law, or (2) the Conceptual Framework that has “no status because it is not adopted into UK law”.

Lord Callanan: Section 393 of the Companies Act 2006 places a requirement on directors that the accounts must provide a true and fair view of the assets, liabilities, financial position and profit or loss of a company or group. Directors must provide such information as is necessary to ensure that this requirement is met, including where no specific accounting standard applies to a transaction, event or condition. For those companies using “UK-adopted international accounting standards”, IAS 8 “Accounting Policies, Changes in Accounting Estimates and Errors” provides a basis for the use of judgement in resolving accounting issues in such situations.

Department of Health and Social Care

Coronavirus: Vaccination

Lord Kennedy of Southwark: To ask Her Majesty's Government what steps they are taking, if any, to encourage those over the age of 75 who have not come forward for their Spring booster vaccination to do so.

Lord Kamall: Since March 2022, the National Health Service has invited more than five million eligible people in England to receive their COVID-19 spring booster dose, including those aged 75 years old and over, residents of care homes for older adults and those aged 12 years old and over who are immunosuppressed. As of 26 June 2022, over 4.2 million people have received a booster dose in the spring programme.On 22 June 2022, NHS England issued an online press release urging eligible people to receive the booster vaccination. At the end of June, NHS England also sent approximately 250,000 reminders via text message, email and letter, advising that the booster vaccination offer remains available.

Coronavirus: Vaccination

Lord Blunkett: To ask Her Majesty's Government, further to the remarks byBaroness Bloomfield of Hinton Waldrist on 23 March (HL Deb col 958), what assessment they have made of the effectiveness of existing vaccines available in the UK in (1) protecting against, or (2) reducing the impact of, Omicron (a) B4, and (b) B5; what assessment they have made of the likely availability of the improved vaccine undergoing experimentation at (i) St George's Hospital, and (ii) beyond; and on what date the fourth COVID-19 booster vaccine will be available for general use across the UK this autumn.

Lord Kamall: Vaccine effectiveness against emerging variants is continuously assessed. There is currently insufficient data for a robust assessment of the effectiveness of COVID-19 vaccines against mild or severe disease with the Omicron BA.4 and BA.5 variants. However, preliminary analyses indicate that the vaccination status of cases infected with BA.4 and BA.5 is not significantly different to that of cases infected with BA.2, suggesting that protection conferred by the vaccines likely remains comparable.Moderna and Pfizer are conducting clinical trials for Omicron-specific variant vaccines, with the intention of making these available in the second half of 2022.The Government continues to be guided by the advice of the Joint Committee on Vaccination and Immunisation (JCVI) on COVID-19 vaccinations. On 15 July 2022, the JCVI issued advice on an autumn booster vaccination programme. This advice states that a booster dose should be offered to residents in a care home for older adults and staff working in care homes for older adults; frontline health and social care workers; all adults aged 50 years old and over; persons aged five to 49 years old in a clinical risk group; persons aged five to 49 years old who are household contacts of people with immunosuppression; and persons aged 16 to 49 years old who are carers.

Department for Education

Holiday Activities and Food Programme

Lord Kennedy of Southwark: To ask Her Majesty's Government, further to the Written Answer by Baroness Barran on 4 July (HL1123), how those eligible for a free place on the Holiday Activities and Food Programme will be notified of this to ensure that none of those eligible for free school meals will miss out during the summer holidays; and what will be done to ensure that this programme is implemented successfully by local councils across England.

Baroness Barran: Local authorities have the discretion to provide free or subsidised holiday club places for children who are not in receipt of free school meals, but who the local authority believes could benefit from holiday activities and food (HAF) provision.Guidance and grant letters provide a clear structure for local authorities in performing their role as HAF coordinators, while encouraging innovation and ensuring the programme is appropriate for the local area. They are encouraged to work with a wide range of organisations and partners across their local area and ensure schools and other services are on board with directing children and families to the programme.To support local authorities, the department has appointed a national support partner, Childcare Works, which helps local authorities use their funding as effectively as possible and to target their programme at those most in need. Childcare Works facilitates local networks and forums where local authorities can exchange ideas, learn from each other, and work together. The department has also provided local authorities with a communication toolkit to support local promotion of the programme.The department is working with national and local partners to build on the success of the HAF programme. On 14 June, we held a roundtable event with representatives from supermarkets and sport organisations, many of whom are already providing support to the programme.The department is monitoring delivery carefully, including through the regular reports that local authorities send to the department. During the summer of 2021, the HAF programme reached over 600,000 children and young people in England in total, including over 495,000 children eligible for free school meals. This means hundreds of thousands of children from low-income families are benefitting from healthy food and better nutrition.

Ministry of Justice

Prisoners: Older People

Lord Trefgarne: To ask Her Majesty's Government how many (1)men, and (2) women, over the age of 70 are serving custodial sentences in England and Wales.

Lord Bellamy: As of 31 March 2022 (latest available published statistics), there were 1,618 male sentenced prisoners and 21 female sentenced prisoners aged ‘70 and over’ in prisons in England & Wales.

Prison Sentences: Older People

Lord Garnier: To ask Her Majesty's Government how many people aged 60 to 69 received an extended determinate sentence with a custodial period of 20 years or more in each year since 2012.

Lord Garnier: To ask Her Majesty's Government how many people aged 70 or over received an extended determinate sentencewith a custodial period of 10 years or more in each year since 2012.

Lord Garnier: To ask Her Majesty's Government how many peoplereceived an extended determinate sentence with a custodial period of 10 years or more in each year since 2012; and of those, how many were aged (1) under 18, (2) 18 to 20, (3) 21 to 24, (4) 25 to 29, (5) 30 to 34, (6) 35 to 39, (7) 40 to 49, (8) 50 to 59, (9) 60 to 69, and (10) 70 or over, at the time of sentencing.

Lord Bellamy: The Ministry of Justice publishes information on detailed sentence and custodial sentence length, in England and Wales, for the years 2017 to 2021, available in the Outcomes by Offence data tool (MS Excel Spreadsheet, 21 MB). In this dataset, the age range for offenders 25 and over was not broken down further prior to 2017 – please refer to note 5 in the tables. Further breakdowns by age range are therefore not available before 2017. Where data is provided for 2012 to 2017, the 25 + age range is aggregated. The data requested is provided in the attached tables.Table (xlsx, 21.6KB)

Prisoners

Lord Garnier: To ask Her Majesty's Government how many people were serving a determinate sentence of 20 years or more in each year since 2012; and of those, how many were aged (1) under 18, (2) 18 to 20, (3) 21 to 24, (4) 25 to 29, (5) 30 to 34, (6) 35 to 39, (7) 40 to 49, (8) 50 to 59, (9) 60 to 69, and (10) 70 or over.

Lord Garnier: To ask Her Majesty's Government how many people were serving a determinate sentence of 20 years or more in each year since 2012, broken down by ethnicity.

Lord Garnier: To ask Her Majesty's Government how many people aged 70 to 79 received a determinatecustodial sentence of 20 years or more in each year since 2012.

Lord Garnier: To ask Her Majesty's Government how many people aged 80 or overreceived a determinate custodial sentence of (1) 10 years to less than 15 years, (2) 15 years to less than 20 years, and (3) 20 years or more, in each year since 2012.

Lord Bellamy: Responses are collated from two different data sources. Please refer to the footnotes of the tables to understand the differences.HL1598 and HL1599:The Ministry of Justice publishes information on detailed sentence and custodial sentence length, in England and Wales, for the years 2017 to 2021 available, in the Outcomes by Offence data tool (MS Excel Spreadsheet, 21 MB).In this dataset, the age range for offenders 25 and over was not broken down further prior to 2017 – please refer to note 5 in the tables. Further breakdowns by age range are therefore not available before 2017.The data requested is provided in the attached tables. Please note that court data records length as the custodial period specified in the sentence.HL1594 and HL1595:Requested information can be found in the attached data tables.The sentence length information is the Judicially Imposed Sentence Length (JISL) which reflects the custodial period plus time to be served on post-release Probation supervision.Table (xlsx, 25.3KB)

Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office

European Court of Human Rights: Belfast Agreement

The Marquess of Lothian: To ask Her Majesty's Government whether they plan to withdraw from the European Court of Human Rights (ECHR); and if so, what is their assessment of the impact of withdrawing from the ECHR on the 1998 Good Friday Agreement.

Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon: The UK has a longstanding tradition of ensuring rights and liberties are protected domestically and of fulfilling our international human rights obligations. The proposed Bill of Rights is fully in line with the Belfast (Good Friday) Agreement.

South Sudan: Humanitarian Aid

Baroness Cox: To ask Her Majesty's Government, further to the Written Answer byLord Goldsmith of Richmond Park on 13 June (HL49), what assessment they have made of the violence in Abyei; and what further steps they intend to take in response.

Lord Goldsmith of Richmond Park: We are carefully observing the ongoing clashes in Abyei and the border regions. As noted in our answer of 13 June, we are heavily engaged with the UN Interim Security Force for Abyei (UNISFA) and welcomed their mandate being renewed by the UN Security Council on 12 May. It is essential that UNISFA is able to fulfil its mandate to protect civilians, and support law and order, local peacebuilding and community dialogues. We join the UN Secretary-General's call for the African Union to intensify its mediation efforts to help reach a political solution for Abyei.We continue to urge the Governments of Sudan and South Sudan to regularise meetings of the Abyei Joint Oversight Committee and agree joint security mechanisms to improve stability in Abyei until its final status can be agreed. We will work with the UN and the humanitarian community in Sudan and South Sudan to address humanitarian needs in Abyei, and call on the governments of both countries to allow humanitarian actors to deliver aid to those in need without hindrance.

Development Aid: LGBT+ People

Baroness Barker: To ask Her Majesty's Government what assessment they have madeof the level of international funding for LGBT+ organisations; and what plans they have to increase the Official Development Assistance funding allocation to such groups.

Lord Goldsmith of Richmond Park: The UK regularly engages our partners, including governments, civil society, philanthropists and multilateral organisations, on taking a collaborative approach to Official Development Assistance funding in support of LGBT+ rights. As co-chairs of the Equal Rights Coalition (ERC), the UK and Argentina oversaw the adoption of the ERC's first strategy and five-year implementation plan in July 2021. The UK actively participates in the ERC Donor Coordination Working Group which aims to improve coordination between all actors. Plans for levels of UK funding for the current spending round are not yet confirmed. In June 2022, the Prime Minister announced £2.7 million of new UK funding to support LGBT+ grassroots human rights defenders, and advance equality and freedom across the Commonwealth.

Georgia: Sanctions

Lord Willoughby de Broke: To ask Her Majesty's Government how many Georgian nationals resident in the UK are subject to government sanctions.

Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon: The Government is not aware of any Georgian nationals resident in the UK who have been designated under UK sanctions.

Convention on the Prevention and Punishment of the Crime of Genocide

Lord Alton of Liverpool: To ask Her Majesty's Government, following the publication of the Yazidi Justice Committee Report on State Responsibility and the Yazidi Genocide on 6 July, what steps they have taken, or are planning to take, to refer (1) Syria, (2) Iraq, or (3) Turkey, to the International Court of Justice for alleged violations of the Genocide Convention to make a formal determination of genocide and associated international obligations.

Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon: We note the findings from the Yazidi Justice Committee's report. The UK has focused its response to the abhorrent crimes that Daesh inflicted by supporting the Government of Iraq to take the necessary actions to secure justice for the Yazidi people and many other victims of Daesh's crimes.This includes leadership in ensuring that the UN Security Council unanimously adopted Resolution 2379 to establish a UN Investigative Team for the Accountability of Daesh (UNITAD) and supporting this with £2 million in funding. We are encouraging close co-operation between UNITAD and the Government of Iraq to achieve justice for Daesh's victims.We will continue to use our position at the UN, including as a permanent member of the UN Security Council, to raise situations of concern and to support the deployment of all appropriate tools available to the UN in dealing with potential mass atrocities. Our focus is always on securing an end to violence and protecting civilians.

Iraq: Genocide

Lord Alton of Liverpool: To ask Her Majesty's Government, following the publication of the Yazidi Justice Committee Report on State Responsibility and the Yazidi Genocide on 6 July, whether they have assessed whether genocide of the Yazidi has or is continuing to occur; if not, whether they plan (1) to take undertake such an assessment, and (2) to recognise ongoing those events as genocide.

Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon: We note the Yazidi Justice Committee's report on State Responsibility and the Yazidi Genocide. It is the long-standing policy of the British Government that any judgment as to whether genocide has occurred is a matter for a competent national or international court, rather than for governments or non-judicial bodies.

UN Convention Against Torture

The Lord Bishop of Southwark: To ask Her Majesty's Government what assessment they have made ofthe joint submission by Human Rights Watch and Lawyers for Justice on the Palestinian Authority and Hamas to the UN Committee Against Torture at its 74th Session, 12–29 July; and what discussions they have had with the Palestinian Authority as a signatory of the Convention Against Torture.

Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon: We are aware of the joint submission and will review the findings. We take allegations or concerns of torture and mistreatment very seriously and will follow up with action, as appropriate.

Religious Freedom

Lord Alton of Liverpool: To ask Her Majesty's Government whether, following the International Ministerial Conference on Freedom of Religion or Belief, they will (1) introduce a Religious Freedom Bill guaranteeing the provisions of Article 18 of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, and (2) make the appointment of a Special Envoy on Freedom of Religion or Belief a statutory requirement.

Lord Alton of Liverpool: To ask Her Majesty's Government what were the outcomes and recommendations of the International Ministerial Conference on Freedom of Religion or Belief, held in London between 5 and 7 July.

Lord Alton of Liverpool: To ask Her Majesty's Government whether the policy of the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office concerning Freedom of Religion or Belief and the mandate of the Special Envoy on Freedom of Religion or Belief is restricted to the provisions of Article 18 of theUniversal Declaration of Human Rights; and whether it can be used to promote other substantive issues.

Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon: The International Ministerial Conference on Freedom of Religion or Belief (FoRB) hosted by the UK brought together governments, faith and belief leaders and civil society for discussions to address challenges to the right to FoRB. The Conference gave a platform to those persecuted for their religion or belief. Forty-seven governments, international organisations and other entities pledged action in support of FoRB. Thirty countries joined the UK in signing up to a set of statements. My Right Honourable Friend, the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs (Elizabeth Truss), outlined FCDO progress in implementing recommendations from the Bishop of Truro's report and noted the breadth of religion and belief groups that suffer from persecution. I [Lord Ahmad] announced new UK funding for support for defenders of FoRB, as well as funding and expertise for countries prepared to make legislative changes to protect FoRB.FCDO policy on FoRB, and the work of the FoRB Special Envoy, is grounded in international human rights law and standards and recognises the interdependence of all human rights, and the importance of respect for the promotion of democracy, rule of law and stability around the world. The role of FoRB Special Envoy is an appointment made by the Prime Minister and currently held by Fiona Bruce MP. We work closely together to promote FoRB around the world. The Human Rights Act contains protections for the ECHR Article 9 right to freedom of thought, conscience and religion, and the new Bill of Rights will continue this protection.

Nuclear Non-proliferation Treaty Review Conference

Baroness Miller of Chilthorne Domer: To ask Her Majesty's Government what are their priorities for the Review Conference on the Non-Proliferation of Nuclear Weapons; and what emphasis will they put on the following elements of strategic risk reduction (1) building confidence, (2) increasing mutual understanding and comprehension about nuclear posture and capabilities amongst the P5, and (3) effective crisis management and crisis prevention tools.

Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon: The UK is committed to effective international arms control, disarmament and non-proliferation and we will engage in such relevant discussions at the NPT RevCon (Review Conference of the Parties to the Treaty on the Non-Proliferation of Nuclear Weapons). We want Russia to demonstrate the same commitment: it was Russia's violation of the Intermediate-Range Nuclear Forces Treaty that led to that Treaty's demise. Russia's proposed moratorium would do nothing to address its existing deployments of prohibited missiles, and so would not improve the international political situation.

Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty Review Conference

Baroness Miller of Chilthorne Domer: To ask Her Majesty's Government whether, in discussions at the Review Conference on the Non-Proliferation of Nuclear Weapons, and given the international political situation, they will prioritise discussion on a moratorium for (1) intermediate-range nuclear weapons, and (2) the deployment of new short-range nuclear weapons.

Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon: Our priorities are to recognise the successes of the past 50 years and reaffirm our commitment to the NPT, finding common areas of agreement across all three pillars (disarmament, non-proliferation and peaceful uses of nuclear technology).We will work collaboratively to reduce the risk of nuclear conflict and build mutual trust and confidence that allows further progress towards disarmament. The P5 process remains an important channel through which the Nuclear Weapon States discuss the Treaty's implementation. It is also an important risk reduction measure to build trust and confidence, especially during times of tension.

Uzbekistan: Politics and Government

The Marquess of Lothian: To ask Her Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of recent events in Karakalpakstan; what discussions they have had with the government of Uzbekistan (1) regarding those events, and (2) to seek a peaceful resolution.

Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon: I [Lord (Tariq) Ahmad of Wimbledon] was saddened by the loss of life that occurred during recent events in the Karakalpakstan region of Uzbekistan. I understand that initially peaceful protests against plans to change Karakalpakstan's autonomous status within Uzbekistan, developed into violent unrest with casualties among civilians and law enforcement. The situation now seems calm. We have taken note of the creation of an Independent Commission under the Parliamentary Ombudsman to investigate these events.On 7 July, I raised the unrest in Karakalpakstan with the Uzbek Deputy Foreign Minister and our Ambassador and his team in Tashkent are also in contact with the Uzbek authorities. We have been clear in our communications that the right to peaceful protest and respect for media freedom should be protected. In discussion of these events in multilateral fora, we urged the Uzbek authorities to adhere to their international commitments in their response, and that due process be followed as the authorities seek to understand what happened. We will continue to monitor developments closely.

Shireen Abu Akleh

The Marquess of Lothian: To ask Her Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the US State Department statement on 4 July that a detailed forensic analysis "could notreach a definitive conclusion regarding the origin of the bullet that killed Palestinian-American journalist Shireen Abu Akleh", despite multiple eyewitness reports that it was fired by an Israel Defense Forces soldier.

Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon: We remain in close contact with the US and other partners on the tragic case of Shireen Abu Akleh. We continue to call for justice, accountability, and urgent steps to be taken to de-escalate tensions, and for restraint in the use of force. The safety of journalists across the globe is vital and they must be protected when carrying out their critical work.

UNRWA

Baroness Deech: To ask Her Majesty's Government, further to the report by theHenry Jackson Society UNRWA's Future Reconsidered, published on 23 February 2020,which referred to the UN Relief and WorksAgency for Palestine Refugees (UNRWA) as a significant road block to peace and a Two State solution, whether they will review the $92m annual funding they provide to the Agency.

Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon: We remain longstanding supporters of the UN Relief and Works Agency (UNRWA) and their work to support Palestinian refugees across the region including Gaza. Minister Milling had the opportunity to see the UNWRA supported refugee camp in Jerusalem during her recent visit to the region in June 2022 and saw first-hand the challenges refugees face along with the impact of valuable UK support. At the UNRWA pledging conference in New York in June, we announced a new multi-year funding programme with the agency providing £15 million in 2022, which helps UNRWA provide education to over 533,000 children a year (half of them girls), and access to health services for 3.5 million Palestinian refugees.

Peru: Indigenous Peoples

Lord Alderdice: To ask Her Majesty's Government what representations they have made, if any, to the government of Peru about the threats from illegal loggers to (1) leaders, and (2) members, of the Wampis community; and what plans, if any, they have to press for them to be protected.

Lord Goldsmith of Richmond Park: The UK Government monitors human rights in Peru closely. We hold regular discussions on them with the Peruvian Government, including raising prominent cases with the authorities and with civil society stakeholders.The safety of environmental defenders in the Peruvian Amazon region is a particular priority for our human rights work in Peru. Officials in our Embassy to Lima met with the Peruvian Ministry of Justice and Human Rights on 13 July to raise concerns about threats to the Wampis community and human rights defenders, as well as the problem of illegal logging. We are monitoring the Peruvian Government's response and will continue to hold an active dialogue with them on these issues. Our Ambassador to Lima has travelled within Peru to meet environmental defenders and indigenous peoples, and Embassy representatives are in close contact with organisations representing human rights defenders.

Rwanda: Politics and Government

Lord Kennedy of Southwark: To ask Her Majesty's Government what representations they have made to the government of Rwanda concerning its record on (1) freedom of expression, (2) political debate, and (3) the right for women and girls to safely access abortion, in that country.

Lord Goldsmith of Richmond Park: The UK Government firmly believes that freedom of expression, a strong opposition and vibrant civil society is vital for a healthy and well-functioning democracy in Rwanda and that civil society and opposition parties must be able to operate freely, holding the Government to account and contributing to the debate on how the country should be governed. We remain concerned about some restrictions on the space for opposition voices in Rwanda. The UK remains strongly committed to championing comprehensive sexual and reproductive health and rights globally, including in Rwanda.We regularly discuss a range of issues with the Government of Rwanda through our High Commission in Kigali and at Ministerial level. The Prime Minster met President Kagame in Kigali during the Commonwealth Heads of Government meeting in June, and the Minister for Africa met Foreign Minister Biruta in London on 18 May.

Ministry of Defence

Afghanistan: Politics and Government

The Lord Bishop of Southwark: To ask Her Majesty's Government what plans they have to relocate (1) interpreters, (2) security guards, and (3) other locally employed government staff, who are still in Afghanistan, back to the UK; and what is the timescale for that relocation.

Baroness Goldie: The Afghan Relocations and Assistance Policy (ARAP) launched on 1 April 2021 and remains open. This scheme offers relocation or other assistance to former Locally Employed Staff (LES) to reflect the changing situation in Afghanistan.To date, we have relocated over 9,900 eligible individuals and their dependents and we estimate that there are around 8,000 (inclusive of their dependents) ARAP eligible individuals still to be relocated to the UK. This figure is subject to change as we continue to work through the outstanding applications.It is not possible to break down statistics for the number of individuals relocated by specific job role, and timescales can vary enormously from case to case dependent on the individual circumstances of an applicant. This can include, but is not limited to, factors such as their ability to respond to requests for information, their location, their access to IT or the employment checks we need to undertake.We continue to work alongside our partners to relocate eligible Afghans through third countries. Due to operational sensitivities, it is not possible to share specific details.

Department for Work and Pensions

Poverty: Children

The Marquess of Lothian: To ask Her Majesty's Government what steps they are taking to support lone parent families, in light of the Institute for Fiscal Studies briefing on 4 July which stated that (1) "1.5 millionchildren of lone parents were in relative income poverty" in 2019–20, and that (2) "the pre-pandemic relative poverty rate for children of lone parents was almost double that for children living with two parents".

Baroness Stedman-Scott: This Government is committed to reducing child poverty and supporting low-income families, and believes work is the best route out of poverty.  With a record 1.3 million vacancies across the UK, our focus is firmly on supporting people to move into and progress in work. This approach is based on clear evidence about the importance of parental employment - particularly where it is full-time – in substantially reducing the risks of child poverty and in improving long-term outcomes for families and children. The latest available data on in-work poverty shows that in 2019/20, children in households where all adults were in work were around six times less likely to be in absolute poverty (before housing costs) than children in a household where nobody works. To help parents into work, our Plan for Jobs is providing broad ranging support for all jobseekers with our Sector Based Work Academy Programmes (SWAP), Job Entry Targeted Support and Restart scheme. We are also extending the support Jobcentres provide to people in work and on low incomes. Through a staged roll-out, which started in April 2022, around 2.1m low-paid benefit claimants will be eligible for support to progress into higher-paid work. This is on top of the support we have already provided by increasing the National Living Wage to £9.50 per hour and giving nearly 1.7 million families an extra £1,000 (on average) a year through our changes to the Universal Credit taper and work allowances. To further support parents to move into and progress in work, eligible UC claimants can claim back up to 85% of their registered childcare costs each month up to a maximum of £646.35 per month for one child and £1,108.04 per month for two or more children. This is on top of the free childcare offer in England which provides 15 hours a week of free childcare for all 3- and 4-year-olds and disadvantaged 2-year-olds, doubling for working parents of 3- and 4-year-olds to 30 hours a week. Around 1.9 million of the most disadvantaged pupils are eligible for and claiming a free school meal, saving families around £450 per year. In addition, around 1.25 million more infants enjoy a free, healthy and nutritious meal at lunchtime as well as over 90,000 disadvantaged further education students. We are also investing £200 million a year to continue the Holiday Activities and Food Programme, which benefitted over 600,000 children last summer, and we have increased the value of the Healthy Start Vouchers by a third to £4.25 a week. Child Maintenance can make a real difference to lone parent households on a low income whether that is through a family-based arrangement (FBA) or the statutory scheme administered by the Child Maintenance Service (CMS). We estimate that receiving parents in separated families received £2.4 billion annually in child maintenance payments in the three financial years ending 2019 to 2021 through both FBAs and payments received through the CMS. As a result, there were around 140,000 fewer children in absolute low-income households each year on average between 2018/19 to 2020/21 (on an after-housing costs basis).

Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs

Water: Sewage

Baroness Bennett of Manor Castle: To ask Her Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the impact of increased releases of raw sewage into waterways onanimal farming, in light of Vancomycin-resistant Enterococci being found in more than 10 per cent of supermarket pork products.

Lord Goldsmith of Richmond Park: The Government has made improving water quality a priority. The Environment Act has placed our ambition on a statutory footing, setting a duty for water companies to achieve a progressive reduction in the adverse impacts of discharges from storm overflows. Our Storm Overflow Discharge Reduction Plan will be published in September and will set out the targets water companies will be required to meet to achieve this. Currently, no assessment has been undertaken on sewage discharges on animal farming more generally. Pharmaceuticals may enter the environment during the manufacture and disposal of pharmaceutical products, or as they pass through humans and animals into wastewater treatment networks or the wider environment. There is much to be done to improve our understanding of the impacts that pharmaceuticals have on the environment, but some are known to cause adverse impacts on aquatic life and contribute to the spread of antimicrobial resistance. The Environment Agency (EA) and Defra has worked with Water UK on the Chemicals Investigation Programme to investigate the fate and travel of antimicrobial resistance through waste water treatment works, and are advocating more work via the 2024 price review.

Food Data Transparency Partnership

Baroness Bennett of Manor Castle: To ask Her Majesty's Government what plans they have for the (1) work, and (2) membership, of the Food Data Transparency Panel; and whether they will invite the Consortium for Labelling for the Environment, Animal Welfare and Regenerative Farming (CLEAR) to join that panel.

Lord Benyon: To drive positive change through better information, transparency, and accountability, we are launching a transformational Food Data Transparency Partnership. The partnership will provide consumers with the information they need to make more sustainable, ethical, and healthier food choices and incentivise industry to produce healthier and more ethical and sustainable food. Improving food system data and information is a shared challenge. The partnership will provide a framework to bring together the UK government, including the Department for Health and Social Care, Defra and the Food Standards Agency, Devolved Administrations and representatives from across the whole food supply chain and civil society. We want to design stakeholders, including industry and civil society, into the fabric of how the programme is run and into how its outputs are developed. The governance structure and process for involvement is being developed and will be announced in the coming months. Initially, the partnership will develop consistent and defined metrics to measure the health, environmental sustainability, and animal welfare impacts of food. By the end of 2023, in England, we will streamline reporting requirements relating to the production and sale of food and drink. We will consult on implementing mandatory public reporting against a set of health metrics and explore a similar approach to sustainability and animal welfare. We will fully consult on any mandatory measures before they are introduced.

Water Companies: Prosecutions

Lord Sikka: To ask Her Majesty's Government whether theywill introduce legislation enabling members of the general public to prosecute directors of water companies for wilful neglect of their statutory duties.

Lord Goldsmith of Richmond Park: We have existing powers to enable regulators to hold directors of companies liable for offences committed by their company if consent, connivance or neglect on their part can be shown. In addition, Ofwat, as the independent economic regulator, protects the interests of consumers by ensuring water companies properly carry out their statutory functions. They will not hesitate to take enforcement action where these duties are breached. In recent years we have seen historic fines placed on water companies, including fines of £90m for Southern Water and £4m for Thames Water in 2021 for serious pollution events.The Government has introduced a range of further measures through the Environment Act 2021, and we have been clear that if we do not see the significant changes we expect, we will take further action.

Biocidal Products: Pollution Control

Baroness Bennett of Manor Castle: To ask Her Majesty's Government whatassessment they have made of environmental pollution from biocides in personal care products, such as (1)benzalkonium chloride in soaps, or (2) chlorhexidine in mouthwashes.

Lord Goldsmith of Richmond Park: These have not currently been identified as chemicals of concern for the Environment Agency (EA)’s monitoring. The EA operates a Prioritisation and Early Warning System for chemicals of emerging concern and will consider these substances under that system.

Home Office

Police: Banks

Lord Sikka: To ask Her Majesty's Government what amount of funding, if any, police forces have received from banks in the last 10 years.

Baroness Williams of Trafford: Police and Crime Commissioners generate income through a variety of funding sources including Government grants, police precept, charging for policing commercial events and investments (both interest and dividends).You can find detailed breakdowns of force financing arrangements in their published annual financial statements.

Abortion: Clinics

Lord Kennedy of Southwark: To ask Her Majesty's Government what assessment they havemade of the (1) use of buffer zones outside abortion clinics, and (2) reports from women and girls who have attended such clinics in the UK that they were intimidated and harassed on arrival.

Baroness Williams of Trafford: The Home Office takes the matter of protests outside abortion clinics extremely seriously and recognises the adverse impact that such protests can have on patients and staff. It is completely unacceptable that anyone should feel harassed or intimidated simply for exercising their legal right to healthcare advice and treatment.We have conducted extensive reviews into these protests, which has included reviewing evidence from those directly affected, with the impact on women being at the centre of our consideration. We continue to welcome any new evidence on this important and sensitive issue, as we keep this matter under review.We believe that managing harmful protests requires a locally driven response and that the police and local authorities have the necessary powers to provide this. Public Spaces Protection Orders have been implemented successfully to restrict harmful protests in Ealing, Richmond, and Manchester.

Refugees: Middle East and Ukraine

Lord Rosser: To ask Her Majesty's Government how many refugees from (1) Ukraine, (2) Afghanistan, and (3) Syria, have beenhelped through either (a) the Homes for Ukraine scheme, (b) the Ukraine Family Scheme, (c) the Afghans Citizens’ Resettlement Scheme, (d) the Afghans Relocation and Assistance Policy, or (e) the Syrian Resettlement Programme, since each of those respective schemes began.

Lord Harrington of Watford: Information on the number of visas granted under the Ukraine Family Scheme and the Homes for Ukraine Scheme can be found in our published data on the GOV.UK webpage: Ukraine Family Scheme and Ukraine Sponsorship Scheme (Homes for Ukraine) visa data - GOV.UK (www.gov.uk)Work is underway to assure information relating to all the individuals relocated under the ARAP and ACRS on case working systems. Once this work concludes, statistics on both schemes - including the number of people resettled under each - will be included in future editions of the Immigration Statistics.The Home Office publishes data on resettlement in the ‘Immigration Statistics Quarterly Release’. Data on refugees resettled in the UK by scheme can be found in table Asy_D02 of the ‘asylum and resettlement detailed datasets’. Information on how to use the datasets can be found in the ‘Notes’ page of the workbooks. The latest data relate to the year ending March 2022. Data for June 2022 will be published on 25 August 2022. Information on future Home Office statistical release dates can be found in the ‘Research and statistics calendar’. Table Asy_D02 (xlsx, 8675.7KB)

Environment Protection: Protest

Lord Taylor of Warwick: To ask Her Majesty's Government what steps they are taking to prevent environmental protests that endanger the lives of others.

Baroness Williams of Trafford: Peaceful protest is a vital part of a democratic society. However, there is a balance to be struck and rights to peaceful protest do not extend to highly disruptive and dangerous acts, such as tunnelling, which places not only the lives of the protesters at risk, but also those who rescue them.The Police, Crime, Sentencing and Courts Act has already increased the maximum penalty for those who obstruct the highway, putting their lives and those of road users at risk. The Public Order Bill further improves the police’s ability to respond to dangerous protest acts by criminalising tunnelling which causes serious disruption and creating serious disruption prevention orders; a new court order that targets the most prolific protesters.

Sudan: Rapid Support Forces

The Earl of Sandwich: To ask Her Majesty's Government what steps they have taken, if any, towards designating the Sudanese Rapid Forces as a terrorist organisation.

Baroness Williams of Trafford: Whilst the Government keeps the list of proscribed organisations under review, we do not routinely comment on whether an organisation is or is not under consideration for proscription.We remain concerned at the behaviour of Sudan’s Rapid Support Forces, including internal repression and human rights violations across the country. We have raised our concerns, including with the RSF leadership.

Asylum: Applications

Lord Rosser: To ask Her Majesty's Government what steps they are taking to improve (1) accountability, (2) transparency, and (3) value for money, in recording the average time it takes to process asylum seeker applications from the initial claim to the date of final interview.

Baroness Williams of Trafford: The Home Office remains committed to routinely publishing information which shows the number of cases in the entire asylum system outstanding to improve accountability, transparency and value for money. However, some data we are unable to provide as it is not easily aggregated, can only be obtained at disproportionate costs or not held in a reportable format.Data on case age and Asylum Operations costs and productivity can be found in ASY_03 and ASY_04 of the published Transparency data (also attached)Immigration and protection data: Q1 2022 - GOV.UK (www.gov.uk) Whilst there are a number of older outstanding cases in the system, these are more complex cases which generally have barriers that causes delays in the time taken to process an asylum seeker application from the initial date of claim to the date of final interview. These barriers are often varied and require time to clear, but our teams are actively working to clear and progress these enable the final interview to take place.published Transparency data (xlsx, 1608.3KB)

Asylum: Middle East and Somalia

Baroness Armstrong of Hill Top: To ask Her Majesty's Government what they consider safe, legal routes to be for asylum seekers from (1) Afghanistan, (2) Iraq, (3) Iran, and (4) Somalia.

Baroness Williams of Trafford: The UK welcomes refugees and people in need of protection through its existing resettlement schemes. The government encourages eligible individuals to use established safe and legal pathways. These include the UK Resettlement Scheme, Community Sponsorship, Mandate Resettlement Scheme, the Afghanistan Citizens Resettlement Scheme, and the Afghanistan Relocations and Assistance Policy.Individuals from the listed countries may be eligible for resettlement through these existing schemes.In addition to our refugee resettlement schemes, family reunion policy allows a spouse/partner and the children under 18 of those granted protection in the UK to join them here if they formed part of the family unit before the sponsor fled their country.Since 2015, we have resettled more than 27,000 refugees through safe and legal routes directly from regions of conflict and instability – around half of whom are children. With worldwide displacement now standing at around 80 million people, we cannot help everyone. We will, however, continue to maintain clear, well-defined safe, and legal routes for people who need protection. Access to the UK’s asylum system should be based on need, not on the ability to pay people smugglers. Those already in a safe country should claim asylum there.More information on safe and legal routes is available on GOV.UK

Asylum: Hotels and RAF Linton-on-Ouse

Lord Newby: To ask Her Majesty's Government what they expect the cost to be of (1) converting RAF Linton so that it will be suitable as a large-scale reception centre for 1,500 asylum seekers, (2) running such a large-scale reception centre, and (3) accommodating 1,500 asylum seeks in hotels; and whether they plan to publish estimates of the capital and running costs of RAF Linton as a large-scale reception centre alongside a cost-benefit analysis.

Baroness Williams of Trafford: The sharp increase in small boat crossings and the pandemic has meant increased use of contingency accommodation to meet our legal duty to provide accommodation to destitute asylum seekers, which is costing the UK taxpayers almost £5million a day, every day. The Home Office is looking at proposals to establish a new asylum accommodation centre at RAF Linton-On-Ouse, North Yorkshire. This would support our response to the increasing pressures on the UK asylum system.Ministers have not taken any final decision to accommodate asylum seekers at RAF Linton. Should it be progressed, the site would provide safe and cost-effective accommodation to asylum seekers who would otherwise be destituteWe will be able to assess value for money once we have received firm bids for the provision of the service, but we anticipate being able to generate cost savings.It would not be appropriate to comment further while planning is ongoing.

Asylum: Middle East

The Marquess of Lothian: To ask Her Majesty's Government whether they will list all the safe and legal routes for asylum seekers from (1) Afghanistan, (2) Syria, and (3) Yemen, which would allow them to claim asylum in the UK (a) on arrival, or (b) prior to their departure from their country of origin.

Baroness Williams of Trafford: The UK welcomes refugees and people in need of protection through its existing resettlement schemes. The government encourages eligible individuals to use established safe and legal pathways. These include the UK Resettlement Scheme, Community Sponsorship, Mandate Resettlement Scheme, the Afghanistan Citizens Resettlement Scheme and the Afghanistan Relocations and Assistance Policy. In addition to our refugee resettlement schemes, family reunion policy allows a spouse/partner and children under 18 of those granted protection in the UK to join them here if they formed part of the family unit before the sponsor fled their country. With worldwide displacement now standing at around 80 million people we cannot help everyone. We will, however, continue to maintain clear, well-defined safe, and legal routes for people who need protection. Access to the UK’s asylum system should be based on need, not on the ability to pay people smugglers. Those already in a safe country should claim asylum there. While we do not allow asylum claims from abroad, all asylum claims lodged from within the UK and admitted to the UK asylum system are given full and careful consideration so that we do not remove anyone who faces persecution or serious harm on return to their country of origin.Our guidance for considering asylum claims is available on GOV.UK. More information on safe and legal routes is available via the link below:Nationality and Borders Bill: Factsheet Safe and Legal Routes - GOV.UK (www.gov.uk)

Veterans: Hong Kong

Lord Craig of Radley: To ask Her Majesty's Government, further to the remarks byLord Sharpe of Epsom on 8 March (HL Deb col 1370) that "the Government remain committed to implementing a solution to the issue of British Hong Kong veterans before the end of this calendar year", whether they will still "update Parliament by the end of June".

Baroness Williams of Trafford: The option identified by the Home Secretary in December 2021 is being further refined to ensure it will be a sufficient solution for British Hong Kong veterans. The Government remains committed to implementing a solution by the end of this calendar year, and will provide a further update at the earliest opportunity

Undocumented Migrants: English Channel

Baroness Mobarik: To ask Her Majesty's Government what recent discussions they have had with the government of France regarding an agreement to stop asylum seekers undertaking unsafe Channel crossings.

Baroness Mobarik: To ask Her Majesty's Government whether they will negotiate with the government of France for centres in that country where asylum seekers can apply for asylum to the UK, rather than crossing the Channel to apply.

Baroness Williams of Trafford: The UK maintains regular contact with the Government of France on our joint cooperation to tackle illegal migration at the shared border at Ministerial and official level. The UK has committed several funding packages to supporting this work, including a bilateral arrangement which was reached between the UK and France on 20 July 2021. The UK has a proud record of providing protection for people who need it, in accordance with our obligations under the Refugee Convention and the European Convention on Human Rights. However, there is no provision within our Immigration Rules for someone to be allowed to travel to the UK to seek asylum or temporary refuge. Those who need international protection should claim asylum in the first safe country they reach – that is the fastest route to safety. France is a safe country, and, like the UK, it has an asylum system which provides protection to those who need it. People in France who need protection, can and should claim asylum there rather than refuse the chance to do so and travel illegally and dangerously to the UK instead. It is for this reason that the UK Government will not negotiate to have centres in France where asylum seekers can apply for asylum to the UK. All asylum claims that are lodged from within the UK and admitted to the UK asylum system, are given full and careful consideration so that we do not remove anyone who faces persecution or serious harm on return to their country of origin.

Cabinet Office

Senior Civil Servants: Recruitment

The Marquess of Lothian: To ask Her Majesty's Government how many current members of the Senior Civil Service were recruited via the Fast Stream; and why they have paused the Civil Service Fast Stream recruitment in 2022/23 for the 2023 intake.

Lord True: The Fast Stream is a talent pipeline for government departments and professions. It is only right we pause bringing in candidates as departments set out how they might achieve the government’s commitment to return the Civil Service to the size it was in 2016. Whilst we pause the Fast Stream for the 2023 intake, we will take the opportunity to further improve the Fast Stream offer. This reform will ensure that when the scheme reopens, it is focused on driving up specialist skills in the Civil Service, as well as improving the regional representation of the Fast Stream. Information provided by departments to the Cabinet Office shows that as of 1st April 2021, 890 Senior Civil Servants were reported to have been successful in the central Fast Stream selection process. This represents 20% of all Senior Civil Servants (as a percentage of all members where information has been reported by the department as known).

Treasury

Taxation

Lord Sikka: To ask Her Majesty's Government what assessment theyhave made of the impact of fiscal drag on the tax revenues for the year 2022–23.

Baroness Penn: The Treasury does not produce fiscal forecasts. The independent Office for Budget Responsibility (OBR) are the Government’s official forecaster. Inflation has a range of impacts on the public finances and previous OBR forecasts have shown how inflation can also increase spending on welfare and debt interest, as well as tax revenues. Borrowing in the financial year-to-June 2022 is currently £3.7 billion more than the £51.8 billion forecast by the OBR in March 2022. The OBR will produce an updated forecast alongside the next Budget, which will reflect the impacts of an updated inflation outlook on both revenues and spending.

Care Workers: Car Allowances

Lord Browne of Belmont: To ask Her Majesty's Government what plans they have, if any, to increase the mileage allowance for frontline care workers given the rising cost of fuel.

Baroness Penn: The Approved Mileage Allowance Payment (AMAP) rates aim to reflect running costs including fuel, servicing and depreciation. Depreciation is estimated to constitute the most significant proportion of the AMAPs. Most domiciliary care staff are employed by private providers who decide their mileage reimbursement rate. Employers, including those of care staff, are not required to use AMAPs. Instead, they can agree to reimburse the actual cost incurred, where individuals can provide evidence of the expenditure, without an Income Tax or National Insurance charge arising. If an employee is paid less than the approved amount, they are entitled to claim tax relief (Mileage Allowance Relief) on the shortfall. The maximum MAR claim is set to the same level as the AMAP rates. As with all taxes and allowances, the Government keeps AMAP rates under review and any changes are considered by the Chancellor.

Income Tax

Lord Sikka: To ask Her Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the number ofadditional individuals who (1) have become, or (2) are likely to become, liable to pay income tax in 2022/23 because of the freezing of (a) tax-free personal allowance, and (b) income tax thresholds.

Lord Sikka: To ask Her Majesty's Government how many UK adults are not liable to pay income tax because their total income is less than the tax-free personal allowance.

Baroness Penn: The OBR’s 2022 Economic and Fiscal Outlook published the projected number of additional individuals brought into paying tax due to the freeze on the Personal Allowance and Income Tax thresholds as 575,000 in 2022-23. The number of UK adults that are not liable to pay Income Tax because their total income is less than the Personal Allowance can be estimated with the following two figures: The ONS population projection for the number of UK adults (aged 16 and over) in 2022 is around 55 million. The total number of individual Income Tax payers is estimated by HMRC to be 34 million in 2022-23. HMRC’s estimate is based on the 2019-20 Survey of Personal Incomes and is projected using economic assumptions consistent with the Office for Budget Responsibility’s March 2022 Economic and Fiscal Outlook. This represents a sample of individuals in contact with HMRC. However, HMRC do not hold information for all people with incomes below the Income Tax Personal Allowance.

Fuels: Excise Duties and VAT

Lord Allen of Kensington: To ask Her Majesty's Government, further to the RAC Fuel Watch data which show that the average UK petrol and diesel priceswas around 191 pence per litre of petrol and 199 pence per litre of diesel as of June, what steps they are taking to reduce (1) fuel duty, and (2) VAT on fuel, to assist families and businesses with the increased cost of living.

Baroness Penn: The temporary 5p cut to duty on petrol and diesel represents a £2.4 billion tax cut in 2022-23, to help consumers with high fuel prices. VAT is a broad-based tax on consumption and the 20% standard rate applies to most goods and services. It would cost over £6 billion to cut VAT on road fuel from 20% to 5%. The Government keeps all taxes under review.

Arts: Customs

Lord Jones of Cheltenham: To ask Her Majesty's Government what progress they have made in negotiations with the EU regarding a carnet waiver for creative artists.

Baroness Penn: ATA Carnets are not a requirement for anyone temporarily importing goods between the UK and EU. They are an optional facilitation which allow goods to be imported temporarily without the normal customs formalities (i.e. customs declarations) and import duty being paid. They allow a single document to be used for multiple countries’ customs controls. The use of an ATA Carnet is subject to an issuing fee and a requirement to provide a security. It is therefore a commercial decision for businesses and individuals whether a Carnet is the most suitable option for temporarily moving their goods. The Government is not currently having any discussions with the EU to negotiate a waiver of ATA Carnets for creative artists. An alternative option to an ATA Carnet is the Temporary Admission (TA) procedure. The UK and EU both operate a similar TA procedure which allows goods to be imported temporarily with relief from customs duty and import VAT, subject to certain conditions being met. If TA is used in conjunction with the UK or EU Returned Goods Relief scheme (for returning goods), goods can be moved temporarily between the UK and EU without having to pay import duties.

Disposable Wipes: VAT

Lord Hylton: To ask Her Majesty's Government what plans they have, if any, to increase VAT on wet wipes.

Baroness Penn: Wet wipes are subject to the 20 per cent standard rate of VAT. As with all elements of tax policy, the Government keeps this under review.

China: Politics and Government

Lord Alton of Liverpool: To ask Her Majesty's Government, in arrangements for the 11th UK–China Economic and Financial Dialogue, what consideration they have given to (1) reports that the Foreign Secretary described events in Xinjiang as a “genocide”, (2) threats to the territorial integrity of Taiwan, and (3) the statement by the Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office in the Six-monthly report on Hong Kong, published on 31 March, that “fundamental parts of the ‘One Country, Two Systems’ framework have been undermined”.

Baroness Penn: Economic and Financial Dialogues (EFDs) provide an important mechanism for progressing our economic, financial and trade relationships. No date has been agreed for the next UK-China EFD.We have been clear that we will not hesitate to stand up to China on our values where they are threatened.The UK has led international efforts at the UN to hold China to account for its human rights violations in Xinjiang. We have imposed sanctions, including asset freezes and travel bans, on senior Chinese officials and taken steps to help ensure that no UK organisations are complicit in these violations through their supply chains. As a co-signatory to the Joint Declaration, we will continue to stand up for the people of Hong Kong, to call out the violation of their freedoms, and to hold China to their international obligations.

Economic Cooperation: China

Lord Alton of Liverpool: To ask Her Majesty's Government whether they intend to hold the 11th UK–China Economic and Financial Dialogue before the appointment of the next Prime Minister; and if so, what are the reasons for making such arrangements.

Baroness Penn: The Government has no plans to hold the next 11th UK-China Economic and Financial Dialogue before the appointment of the next Prime Minister. Economic and Financial Dialogues remain an important mechanism for progressing our economic, financial and trade relationships.

Department for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport

Foreign and Commonwealth Office: Departmental Records

The Marquess of Lothian: To ask Her Majesty's Government why the colonial archive series FCO 141 has been withdrawn from public access by the National Archives; and whether these documents are being withheld from public viewing and research.

Lord Parkinson of Whitley Bay: The National Archives issued a public statement on Monday 11 July which answers this question.

Internet: Children

Lord Pendry: To ask Her Majesty's Government, followingthedelay to the progressof the Online Safety Bill until the autumn, what steps they are taking in the interim to protect children from online harm and abuse.

Lord Parkinson of Whitley Bay: The Government has a comprehensive work programme to ensure that children are protected from online harm and abuse ahead of the implementation of the Online Safety Bill.The Information Commissioner’s Age Appropriate Design Code provides world-leading protections for children’s personal data and the UK’s regulatory regime for video-sharing platforms requires companies in scope to take appropriate measures to protect under-18s from harmful material.Furthermore, the Government published its Online Media Literacy Strategy in July 2021, and we have also published practical guidance and codes for companies on what they can do to design safer services, increase children’s safety online and tackle online child sexual exploitation and abuse ahead of the new regulatory framework.The Government is also supporting the development of innovative online safety technology in advance of regulation coming into force. This includes initiatives such as the Safety Tech Challenge Fund which supported the development of ‘proof of concept’ tools to identify child sexual abuse material in end-to-end encrypted environments whilst upholding user privacy.